See what the argument is

Intellectual rigor as a habit

How many of us have the intellectual curiosity and mental fortitude to explore the arguments we don’t agree with?

I was reading The Will to Doubt by Bertrand Russell when I came across this line:

“But let us see what the argument is.”

In other words, I suspect I don’t agree with this frame; I have a bias against it; I am predisposed to find it offensive or objectionable or perhaps just dumb. But still: let’s have a look and see what it’s about.

How much more insightful would our decision-making be if we made a real habit of doing this? Could we begin to overcome the gaps in cultural understanding in society if we practiced this more often?

Perhaps let’s try it and see.